


Evermore

by Lover_Tay_Tay



Category: Reputation - Taylor Swift (Album), Taylor Swift (Musician)
Genre: Adoption, Album: Reputation (Taylor Swift), Alternate Universe - Celebrity, Alternate Universe - Foster Family, Based on a Taylor Swift Song, Cats, Child Neglect, Childhood Trauma, Family Fluff, Foster Care, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Inspired by Music, Inspired by Taylor Swift, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Taylor, Music, Song: ...Ready For It? (Taylor Swift), Song: Delicate (Taylor Swift), Song: Look What You Made Me Do (Taylor Swift)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 17:28:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28834890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lover_Tay_Tay/pseuds/Lover_Tay_Tay
Summary: Destiny is a troubled girl with a dark past.Taylor and Selena are lovers looking for something to complete their lives.Can they help Destiny discover her true self while also dealing with hurt that has been pushed back for too long?
Relationships: Selena Gomez/Taylor Swift
Kudos: 3





	Evermore

“I’m gonna find someone someday who might actually treat me well”  
-White Horse  
Taylor Swift

New York City, 2016

St. Andrew’s Home for Abandoned and Unwanted Girls

I crouch under my bed, eyes pressed tightly together. I wish I could shut out all the noise. The dorm where I sleep with 13 other girls is a chaotic place. I hear several of the girls-Melody, Melissa, Kacy?- fighting over a bottle of nail polish while someone-Julia?- cries loudly. “Shut up,” I whisper through gritted teeth. I wish I could wave my hand and shut all their traps. All this noise is driving me crazy. I can’t focus. 

I twirl my pencil around in my hand, glaring down at my blank sketchbook, almost hoping some grand idea will appear on the page before me. It’s been awhile since I wrote poems…. I guess I haven’t really been feeling up to it. I don’t suppose anyone would, after losing their mom to an overdose of heroin and their dad to a gang fight. But all that doesn’t matter, of course. All the other girls here at St. Andrew’s are in the same boat as me. 

“Hey dork,” Kacy says, scooting under the bed and gently shoving me over. “Whatcha doing?” Kacy’s glasses have fallen down to the end of her nose. She pushes them up and smiles brightly at her. Sometimes, Kacy is the only one here who can cheer me up. It’s very difficult to coax even a fake smile out of me.

“Well, I was trying to write a poem but… I can’t think. It’s way too loud,” I reply, closing my sketchbook and tucking my pencil away. “Did you win the nail polish?” 

Kacy giggles. “No. Melody and Melissa are still fighting over it. Hey, Mrs. Brighton told me this morning that my mom’s out of rehab and I might be able to go home!” 

My heart sinks at this news. I know I should be happy for her. Kacy’s my best friend. She deserves to go home to her family, but I don’t want her to leave me here alone. She’s my only friend in this world of strangers. The only one who has been with me through these hard months. Pushing aside my hurt, I put on, what I hope, is a pleasant face. “That’s great, Kacy. I’m glad.” 

Kacy raises her eyebrows. “Sure you are.”

“No, seriously, I am. It’s just that…'' I look away, my eyes stinging with tears. What is this? I haven’t cried in weeks. I hurriedly brush them away with the back of my hand. “I am glad you get to go back to your mom, Kacy, I really am. So… what I’m trying to say is… I really don’t want you to leave.” I choke back a sob and turn my face away from Kacy so that she can’t see the single tear running down my cheek. 

Kacy wraps her arm around me and squeezes. “I wish you could come with me, dork. We could share my bedroom. Roam the streets together when my mom’s out doping herself. It’d be great…” Kacy’s never really been one for emotional moments. She’s a bit of an awkward nerd. That’s why it surprises me when Kacy wipes my tears away with her thumb. “I’ll write to you, dork. I promise. I’ll write to you every day. And when we’re old enough to get out of this crappy system, we’ll go live on an island far away and you can write your poems and I’ll surf all day long, k?” 

I laugh despite myself. “Yeah, okay.” 

“Good. It’s a deal. Now, let’s go. It’s lunch hour.”   
****************************************

The cafeteria is crowded. A long line weaves its way up to the serving counter. We’re having chicken and potatoes again with some sort of yellow substance that passes as butter. Kacy grabs a plate and stands in line while I search for a table. A table near the back is empty, so I slide onto the bench and wait for Kacy. I’m not that hungry. I spent all morning throwing up last night’s chipped beef. Chicken and potatoes are even less appetizing. Scanning the cafeteria, I pick out Melissa and Melody amongst the crowd. Although we aren’t chums like Kacy and I, we bear each other-mostly because we have to. I wave them over.

Melissa smiles at me gratefully and sets down her tray. “Thanks. All the other tables were full…” 

“No they aren’t,” Melody protests with a frown. “That stuck-up Sara won’t let anyone sit down without her permission.” 

I know who Sara is. She and I have had quite a few run-ins and none of them have ended well. The first time ended with me flat on my back, nose bleeding like a pig. The second time ended with her head in the toilet. Both times ultimately ended up in cleaning the bathrooms and doing everyone’s chores for them for two whole days. Yeah… as you can probably tell, Sara and I aren’t exactly besties. I roll my eyes and rest my chin on my hands. “Someday I’m gonna beat her ass.”

“Language,” Melissa says, dabbing delicately at her mouth with a napkin. 

“Sorry, it’s just the s-”

“Don’t say it,” Melissa warns. 

Kacy skips up to the table and slides onto the bench next to me. “Hey twins. Who won the nail polish battle?” 

“I did,” Melody says. 

“Only because I let you,” Melissa adds softly. 

“Did you see the fancy lady walk in? She’s over there, see? Talking with Mrs. Brighton.” Kacy gestures with her fork to the table where the heads sit. Mrs. Brighton appears to be in a deep conversation with a slender, blond woman. “I wonder what she’s doing here. Maybe she’s going to be the new dorm supervisor. I know Mrs. Brighton said something about interviewing for the job today.” 

I scoff. “That fancy lady? Dorm supervisor? No… she wouldn’t last a day. Sara would terrorize her just like she did the last one.” I already notice Sara eyeing the visitor. 

Mrs. Brighton suddenly clears her throat very loudly and looks directly over at me. Her hawkish eyes scrutinize me for what seems to be a whole minute, then she says, very quietly, and somewhat gruffly, “Report to my office, girl.” Then, she gets up and leaves with the fancy lady. 

Kacy, Melissa, Melody, and I exchange serious looks. People are only called to Mrs. Brighton’s office if they’re in trouble or something terrible has happened. “Oh my god… dork… did you do something?” Kacy whispers, brow wrinkled with concern. “Tell me you didn’t dunk Sara again…” She leans close and whispers, “If you did, I will have to congratulate you.” 

“No! What? I didn’t dunk Sara! We’ve been avoiding each other for weeks! I’ve stayed out of Mrs. Brighton’s radar, I’m positive. I haven’t done anything that she should know about.” Slowly I rise from my seat. It’s probably best not to keep Mrs. Brighton waiting. Her patience, or rather lack of it, is famous. “Wish me luck, girls. If I’m not out in ten minutes, I probably got murdered.” Head held high, I stride towards the office. Behind me I can hear the girls whispering and Sara laughing. 

“Slut’s got in trouble again!” she taunts but I ignore her. 

When I reach Mrs. Brighton’s office, I find, to my surprise, the door wide open. Mrs. Brighton is sitting behind her desk and the fancy blond lady is sitting on the visitor’s couch, looking quite out of place amongst the faded furniture. She smiles at me-not a condescending, ‘holier than thou’ smile, but a real, genuine smile. Her lips are wreathed with kindness and her eyes sparkle with an excitement that reminds me of… Nevermind… I shake my head and look away from her. 

“Mrs. Brighton… you asked to see me?” 

Mrs. Brighton adjusts her wire-rimmed glasses and nods. “Yes, please sit down.” 

I crumple onto a rusty folding chair and await my fate. 

“I’m sure you already know who this is.” Mrs. Brighton gestures to the blond lady. 

I stare blankly at the stranger. “I don’t…”

Mrs. Brighton opens and closes her mouth. “But she-”

The blond lady thrusts out her hand. “Hi! I’m Taylor. It’s good to be introduced! What’s your name?” Again, she smiles-that warm, friendly smile-and her eyes sparkle like she’s up to some sort of mischief. 

I purse my lips, warily eyeing her outstretched hand. “Hi… nice to meet you I guess. I’m-”

“Elizabeth Louise Barker. Age 13. She’s been with us since she was eleven,” Mrs. Brighton says, reading aloud from my file. “Her mother died of a heroin overdose and her father-” 

“Could you shut it, please?” I mumble, curling my fists into tight balls. 

“Manners, Elizabeth! I am very sorry, Miss Swift. Elizabeth is a troublesome child. We have had a hard time controlling her. I am not exactly sure she is the kind of child someone like you would wish to take in. I’m sure we could find another girl for you, someone who is much more polite and knows her place.” 

“Yeah, I don’t want to be adopted by some fucking rich lady who’s just doing this for looks,” I burst out angrily and Taylor jumps. I feel a tiny pinprick of guilt when I see the hurt expression on her face but I’ve come too far to go back. Taylor will never want me. I’m foul-mouthed, a troublemaker, and bad luck. Besides, I don’t need anyone. I can handle things myself. 

“Watch your tongue, young lady,” Mrs. Brighton snaps. “Go now! You have humiliated me!” 

“I don’t fucking care!” I shout and jump up from my seat.

However, before I can run out, Taylor gently grasps my arm. “Hey, Elizabeth… I’m not like all those other people, okay? I know that’s hard to believe… You are right. I’m rich and I’m a fucker too but I’m not doing this for looks… I’m doing this because…” She suddenly lets go of my arm and looks away, swallowing hard. “Because I need someone,” she finishes softly. “I know I’m probably not the one you want but I will do everything I can to make you happy and hopefully, someday, you’ll realize I’m not a bitch like the others.” 

My first instinct is to run away. I cursed at this woman and insulted her and yet she still stands determined to take me in. “I-I….” My mouth opens and closes. I don’t know what to say. A small voice in my mind is whispering, “Do it… Do it… Do it… Go with her. Get away from this god awful place…”   
Somehow… I find myself saying, “Alright.” 

It’s all a blurry haze. I can hear Mrs. Brighton grumbling and Taylor whispering soothing words to me but everything else seems like it’s frozen in time. 

“It’s done,” Mrs. Brighton says. 

Taylor gently takes my hand. “Come Elizabeth, let’s go home.” 

I follow her. It’s not like I have a choice in the matter. My legs refuse to obey my mind.


End file.
